What: SWEAT 1000 Grand Opening
Where: SWEAT 1000
The scoop: Guests dressed to impress at SWEAT 1000’s Grand Opening as the popular South African fitness concept made its official U.S. debut at 725 W. 18th St. in The Heights.
Ana Barron Strouse and Jordan Strouse, the Houston couple who partnered with SWEAT 1000 to bring the concept to the United States, hosted the evening. SWEAT 1000 founders Andrew and Paul Rothschild were on hand from Cape Town, South Africa, to support their new partners and staff. Guests mingled while getting a glimpse at the new studio and participating in a raffle and silent auction benefiting Homemade Hope.
Guests walked the red carpet and were greeted in the SWEAT 1000 lobby by sultry dance tunes from DJ Neon Tiger. South Africa native chef Paul Friedman of Peli Peli Kitchen served up traditional South African plates of spaghetti squash, collard greens, cauliflower and curried chicken. Guests enjoyed cocktails featuring Deep Eddy Vodka and juice from Nourish Juice & Smoothie Bar, Buckle Bunny beer from Eureka Heights Brew Co., and wine from Bandit Wines.
Inside the SWEAT 1000 studio, blue lights sparkled on the gym’s new equipment including a row of world-class FreeMotion Incline Trainer treadmills. Silent auction items were donated by Total Nutrition, Smoothie King, ThroughGood Coffee, TriGer Massage Therapy, Jawda and Jawda, Juice Girl, GP Salon, Trish Badger Photography, Madam War Paint, State of Grace and Heights-area restaurants and bars including Wicklow Heights, Alice Blue, Down House, Johnny’s Gold Brick, BCK Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures and FM Kitchen and Bar. The big prize of the evening was a raffle for a year-long SWEAT 1000 Founders Launch Membership, providing unlimited SWEAT 1000 classes for one year ($200/month value).
As the evening drew to a close, Andrew Rothschild took the microphone to tell the story of how he and his brother Paul founded SWEAT 1000 in Cape Town in 2011. Shortly afterward, Jordan Strouse thanked guests for attending with a special nod to his wife, Ana, for the work she put in to make their dream of opening SWEAT 1000 in the Heights a reality.
Who: Blair Bentley, Brooke Bentley-Gunst, Lila Sharifian, Taylor and Angie Currell, Crystal Shotwell, Braidee Ireland, Neera Patidar, Amanda Abiassi, Kelli Hecker and Gabe Nwuli, Dom McGhee, Cori Schirer, Jim Weiss, Eric Turner, Frank Torres, Thomas Mosnes, Tiffany Guillen, and Abby Liu.
Jordan Strouse, Ana Barron Strouse, and Blair Bentley.
